


The Secret Keeper

by HobbitsandDwarves



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Bad secrets, Good secrets, M/M, Mpreg, Yami makes pottery and sculpture with clay, Yaoi, Yugi has magical abilites, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-03
Updated: 2016-04-03
Packaged: 2018-05-31 01:29:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6450010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HobbitsandDwarves/pseuds/HobbitsandDwarves
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone has a secret. And when those secrets get to be to much for the people of the town of Domino, they go to the Secret Keeper, Yugi Mutou, who hides those secrets in little drawers. </p><p>But after one winter, Yugi has fallen ill. What ails him? And can he be cured?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Secret Keeper

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, new story and first posting in the Yu-gi-oh! fandom. 
> 
> This story was inspired by a children's book I read when I was younger, titled 'The Secret Keeper', by Kate Coombs.
> 
> I don't own the story 'The Secret Keeper' by Kate Coombs or Yu-gi-oh! Enjoy!

The tiny village of Domino was located in the forests of Japan. The people who lived there were pleasant and happy. Everyone knew everyone, and what you had for breakfast that morning. But like every person who lived, they all had secrets. Things they didn't want anyone else to know. But those secrets would eat away at you until you _had_ to tell someone. And when it did happen, you followed the path that was hidden behind the potter's shop out of the village. No one ever went with you, for when you had a secret, no one knew. After a minute or so, you would come to a lone cottage in a small clearing.

This cottage was the home of the Secret Keeper, Yugi. Yugi had pale skin, like the rest of his village. His hair was black, but he had blond bangs and amethyst edging, and it somehow naturally defied gravity and stood up like a star. His eyes were soft, and a gorgeous amethyst color. All in all, Yugi was a natural beauty that many secretly envied, but also enjoyed because he didn't brag about it.

The job of the Secret Keeper was exactly that, to keep the secrets of those who came to his cottage. You see, instead of the walls of his house being lined with tapestries or paintings, the wall of Yugi's house were filled with tiny drawers from floor to ceiling, save for where there was a window or a door. When someone would come to his house with a secret, they would give him something that would represent the secret, and Yugi would place that something in one of the tiny storage compartments to remain hidden away. After you told your secret, your burden would be lightened and you would return to your home and go about your daily life. Once you died or your secret became invalid, that little drawer that held your secret would become empty, so Yugi never ran out of space for the secrets.

One day, the town's baker, Raphael, came and knocked on his door. In the man's hand was a small piece of bread. Yugi opened the door and waited. Like everyone else, Raphael would gather his thoughts, give what he had in his hand to Yugi, and then tell him the secret that he wanted to keep hidden from everyone else.

"I charge extra money for my bread because I wanted to make a profit." Raphael whispered.

Yugi nodded, not saying a word as his hand closed over the small crumble of bread. Raphael turned and walked back to the path that would lead him back to the village. As always, no one was waiting for him, so he returned the same way he had come… alone. Yugi shut his door and looked down to his hand. Opening it, the tiny bit of bread had turned into a small copper coin with a loaf of bread on it. This coin that had once been a piece of bread went into one of the many drawers in his home, tucked away and out of sight.

No one knew how this ability worked. Even Yugi himself didn't know. All he knew was that he had it, as had his father before him, and his father before him, and his father before him, and his father before him. The men of the Mutou line had always been the Secret Keeper for the village of Domino, and would remain so for many years to come.

Later, the village matchmaker, Vivian Wong, who had just taken over from her mother, came to his door. Yugi answered and again waited for the person at this door to gather their thoughts. With a guilty expression on her face, Vivian pressed a silver coin into his hand.

"I made a bad match between a very nice girl and a horrid young man because he paid me extra money." Vivian murmured.

Yugi nodded, again not speaking as he hand closed over the coin. Vivian walked away, heading back towards the village alone. When his door was closed, Yugi opened his had to see a withered rose. The withered rose, like the coin with a loaf of bread on it, went into one of the tiny drawers, out of sight and out of mind by the one who told their secret.

Everyone had a secret to tell. A little boy had lied to his sister, saying a monster had torn up her teddy bear. A mother tricked her children into eating their vegetables by comparing them to a lame boy a village over, saying he could walk because he didn't eat his greens. An old man hated his daughter-in-law because she was a gold digger and didn't actually love his son.

Despite Yugi's job as the Secret Keeper, he was well like in the village on the day he came to buy food or clothes. Yugi was shy and reserved, but he did carry soft conversations with several of the town's folk as he went about his business. No one ever asked him what secrets the other townsfolk had told him, even the local gossips. They all knew if asked, he would just smile softly before walking away.

But out of all the people in the town, there was one person who never went to the Secret Keeper's cottage. The young potter, Yami Sennen. Yami could be Yugi's twin, but they were not related. They had the same pale skin tone and naturally gravity defying hair, but that is where the similarities ended. Yami's hair, while also black with blond bangs, had a deep dark red edging and blond lightning bolt bangs that ran up his hair. His eyes were also sharp, and the same shade of red as his hair edge.

Whenever Yugi would stop at Yami pottery shop, Yami would greet him and then do something that none of the other villagers did. Asked Yugi questions about Yugi.

"Hello Yugi." Yami said as the young man entered his store.

"Hello Yami." Yugi replied in a soft whisper.

"Just browsing today?" Yami asked.

"No actually." Yugi hummed as he wandered over the water pots. "My water pot broke, and I am in need of a new one."

Yugi enjoyed coming to the pottery shop, even if it was just to look and see what new pots or sculptures Yami had made with the different types and colors of clay. There was one sculpture in particular that he enjoyed seeing. Two Arabian horses, a midnight black stallion and a pure white mare, standing side by side and nuzzling each other. Each time he went, Yugi never left until he saw that figurine was still there.

"What is your favorite food?" Yami inquired as Yugi looked over the water jugs.

"Ground and fried cow meat on warm bread rolls, with some lettuce and sliced tomatoes." Yugi replied, his eyes getting a starry look as he thought of the delicious sandwich.

Yami chuckled and held up a gray water pot for Yugi to inspect. Yugi looked it over for 20 seconds before shaking his head and setting it down, reaching for a red water jug next.

"Least favorite food?" Yami asked.

"Shallot." Yugi made a sour face at even naming the type of onion his mother often used to cook with.

Yami couldn't stop the laugh at the face Yugi was making. Yugi turned the look to him and glared. Or attempted to. It just made him look cute. Stuffing down his chuckles, Yami cleared his throat and waited until he wasn't going to burst out laughing again.

"Sorry." Yami apologized, and Yugi gave a soft smile.

"It's alright." Yugi forgave him.

Choosing the red pot in his hands as his new water jug, Yugi paid Yami and left, giving the two horses one more glance before he left. Yami was a puzzle to him. He had never once come to his home with a secret, ever. It baffled Yugi. Everyone had at least one secret. Why Yami didn't tell what his was… that was a mystery, but it honestly wasn't his business. Besides, Yugi wasn't a privacy intruder, he was a privacy warden.

~

Time flowed as it always did. The seasons changed. Spring into summer, summer into autumn, autumn into winter. Not many people made the trek out to Yugi's cottage in the winter, (the footprints in the snow made it obvious that someone had recently gone), but would speak with him when he came into town to buy food. Many didn't like winter, save the children and their snowball fights and snowmen. But Yugi did. Winter was the time when things slowed down and remained still for a while. But winter also left him vulnerable. Not to bears or wolves, but to loneliness. No one knew this. Even though he wasn't the most social butterfly in town, seeing people when they came out to his cottage starved off the isolation and solitude he felt. Winter brought those feelings close to the surface.

By the time spring came around and the green grass grew again, it had been more than two months since someone had come to the Secret Keeper's cottage. The deep winter's snow made it nigh impossible for someone to go to him, and Yugi had enough food stored and preserved that he didn't need to go into town. It was just the Secret Keeper and all the dark secrets.

Everyone was happy to be outside again. People talked and laughed. Most people. Yami didn't smile, or chuckle at the childish antics in the streets. Finally, Rebecca Hawkins, the granddaughter of one of the school's professors, went over to him.

"What's wrong?" Rebecca asked, and Yami startled, having been deep in thought.

"I'm worried." Yami admitted. "I have not seen our Secret Keeper in town yet, and it has been a week since the spring thaw."

"I'll go check on him." Rebecca promised Yami with a smile and slipped onto the path behind the potter's shop.

Rebecca skipped down the path. Everything was green and good. No more being cooped up inside waiting for warm weather. When the trail reached the clearing Yugi's house was in, Rebecca stopped. There was no sign that spring had reached the Secret Keeper's cottage. Icicles still clung to the roof, the garden had not been prepped for the spring planting, and the house looked rather dreary and dull. Moving forward slowly, Rebecca knocked on the door. No reply. After a minute, she knocked again.

Working up her courage, she did something that no one had done before. Rebecca opened the door to the Secret Keeper's home. It was darker and drearier on the inside. Looking around, Rebecca spotted Yugi on his bed. He looked so pale, an unhealthy and sickly color. Beads of sweat clung to his face, and he struggled to breathe. Yugi had opened his eyes when Rebecca had opened the door. The scent of spring had come in with her. The young girl held his gaze, having never seen such a look of death and misplacement.

Whirling back around, and forgetting to close the door, Rebecca ran back to the village. Something was wrong with their town's Secret Keeper. They never had a Secret Keeper die on them before, at least, not before they had a child that had been trained in their place. Rebecca was so lost in thought, as well as determined to get the town doctor, she didn't notice all the people she was practically plowing over.

"Ms. Ishizu!" Rebecca yelled once she spotted the woman. "Something is wrong with Yugi!"

The entire town stilled at her words. Yugi, their Secret Keeper, something was wrong? Everyone quickly raced down the path that led to Yugi's cottage, some bringing food or blankets or cheerful decorations. None of them knew what was wrong, but they were all determined to help. So resolved with their actions, no one noticed that this was the first time that more than one person had gone to the Secret Keeper's cottage at the same time.

Once there, Ishizu immediately went to Yugi's bedside and began to look him over. The door was propped open and the windows were held ajar. Sunlight and warm spring air flooded inside. Yugi's feeble breathing strengthened a little, but it was obvious he was still weak. Ishizu was baffled, having never seen anything like what Yugi was experiencing. It wasn't the cold, the flu, or pneumonia. Stepping back, Ishizu let the villagers come closer. They offered food, blankets, trinkets, but nothing seemed to catch Yugi's attention.

What was it that Yugi needed? Or wanted?

"So cold…" Yugi whispered, his eyes unfocused and still dead looking, startling everyone into silence. "So dark… lonely… So… heavy…"

The citizens of Domino began to murmur to each other. Was this what Yugi had been feeling in these last winter months? Loneliness and winter's bitter chill?

"The secrets." Rebecca whispered, looking to the walls of the cottage, which were still dark despite the sunlight coming into the room. "The dark and heavy secrets he has to keep to himself… alone."

It was then everyone understood. They had each other in the town to lean on for support when things got hard in the winter months, but Yugi had no one to speak with when the weather got bad. He ended up being overwhelmed by the heaviness of the secrets in his home, all of which were of bad things that they had said or done. But how could they help now?

A young boy Rebecca's age, Leon, stepped away from his family and knelt next to Yugi. When Yugi managed to focus on him, everyone watched with baited breath. Was could this little boy do to help their Secret Keeper? Pressing a piece of paper that held some colors on it, Leon took a deep breath.

"I haven't told anyone yet…" Leon said softly, but also clearly as Yugi's hand curled over the piece of paper. "But I'm going to be a painter when I grow up."

Leon's mother squawked in surprise. She was silenced by her husband and other son, telling her to let Leon have his dream. Yugi blinked, and gave a soft smile, light coming back into his eyes. He opened his hand and glanced at it. The piece of paper had turned into a stunning butterfly, with wings that were red at the top, blended to purple in the middle, and then mingled to blue at the bottom. The butterfly took flight and flew out the door.

"Good secrets." Ishizu smiled as she realized what would help their Secret Keeper. "Good secrets shared with everyone."

Ryou, the soft spoken book-tender, who was married to Bakura, the rough and hard law-man, stepped forward. It had been a shock to all when Vivian had matched the two up since they were complete opposites of each other. Ryou gave Yugi a piece of light blue fabric that used to make baby clothes and closed his hand over it.

"I'm pregnant." Ryou breathed out.

Bakura whooped with joy, his face lighting up like the sun coming out from behind a cloud. He grabbed his spouse and spun him out of the house, still cheering at the prospect of having a child. More light came into Yugi's eyes, and the house seemed less dreary. Opening his hand a small flock of bluebirds flew out the windows, singing their songs of spring. As his skin tone turned from sickly to more on the healthy side, Yugi began to push himself up into a sitting position. Joey, the apprentice to the local blacksmith, came over and helped Yugi sit on the edge of the bed. As the Secret Keeper leaned against him, Joey gave him a chunk of coal, which was hidden from sight by nimble fingers.

"He's thinks that I don't know this, but Seto Kaiba has been helping me pay off my deceased father's gambling debt." Joey grinned as he looked over at the son of the banker.

Seto was blushing. He didn't think that anyone noticed. Looks like Joey was more observant than he gave him credit for. Yugi was still smiling as he opened his hand again. The coal had changed into an eight week old black kitten, which meowed before being passed over to Joey. It was then that Vivian pushed her way threw the crowd.

"You two are a great match, just like Ryou and Bakura." Vivian grinned as she plunked a portion of green contract paper into Yugi's hand. "I was originally going to put Seto with Téa and Joey with Mai, but I've changed my mind. Now kiss already."

Seto and Joey just stared at each other wide eyed. It wasn't until a frog croaked that they stopped looking at each other. There heads both turned to Yugi, or rather, the frog in Yugi's hands. Yugi was still smiling, and his eyes gained a mischievous look as he held the frog up.

"Want to kiss him instead?" Yugi asked.

The crowd roared in laughter as Joey jumped off the bed and away from Yugi. Seto caught him as he stumbled. They stared at each other for two more seconds before kissing, which quickly turned more passionate. Cheers, whistles, and catcalls were heard from the crowd as the two separated.

"Finally!" Mokuba, Seto's younger brother, yelled. "Do you have any idea how frustrating it is to watch you two make mushy eyes at each other when the other isn't looking, and yet not have the guts to actually talk?"

"Like you're one to talk." Seto rolled his eyes, making Mokuba flush.

The raven haired boy glanced over to Noa, an orphan who had been adopted by the Kanekura family. Biting his lip, Mokuba tossed Yugi a pebble. Yugi stood and managed to walk to the doorway of his home to watch Mokuba walked over to Noa, and press a chaste kiss to Noa's mouth. This time there were coos of how cute the two looked together as rainbows of colored light burst from Yugi's hands.

More happy secrets were shared.

Valon and Alister had decided to go on a date to see how compatible they were with each other. Flowers bloomed and filled the air with sweet scents.

The milk man, Tristan, secretly left milk for those who needed it, even if they were unable to pay for it in the market. The grass turned even greener as the beginnings of the weeds vanished.

Ishizu's younger brother, Malik, enjoyed stargazing on a clear night after everyone went to bed. The gray clouds on the horizon blew away on the wind.

Rebecca liked Leon, and Leon liked Rebecca. Fish began jumping in the nearby stream.

Pegasus proposed marriage to a young woman named Cecelia, who had thought her affections for the man had been overlooked. A herd of deer curiously peeked out of the forest to look at the humans.

It was then that the crowd parted. Yami had come to the clearing as well, and had a covered basket with him. Yugi wondered why he had come. Yami never shared a secret with him before. In fact, Yugi was fairly certain that Yami had never shared a secret with _anyone_ before, so why on earth would the young man now?

"I have a secret as well." Yami said softly as he gave Yugi a small piece of clay, looked Yugi in the eyes, and took a deep breath. "I love the Secret Keeper."

The entire crowd drew in their breaths. Yugi didn't hear any of it as he watched Yami pulled the covering off the basket. Inside was the sculpture of the two Arabian horses, the midnight black stallion and his pure white mare. Yami took the sculpture out of the basket, and passed the basket to Joey. Holding it with both hands, Yami offered the work of art to Yugi.

"Yugi Mutou, will you accept my offer of courtship?" Yami asked.

Yugi opened his hand. The clay had been transformed into a thin golden necklace. Looking up from his hand, Yugi smiled.

"Yes." Yugi said.

~

Yami and Yugi married before the summer was over, and the potter moved his workshop out to Yugi's cottage. Yugi still was the Secret Keeper for the town of Domino, and still kept the bad secrets that were brought to him hidden in his little drawers. When the townspeople did come out, Yami pointedly ignored them and remained busy in his workshop until they had left.

But every spring, once the weather warmed, the entire town came out and shared their good and happy secrets with each other as well. Yami made sure that Yugi was never overwhelmed by the heaviness of the bad secrets during the winter months, and rejoiced with all of the town when good things came from Yugi's hand in the spring days.

A few years later, they had two children. A little girl named Hanako, who became a pottery maker like her father, and a little boy named Ken'ichi, who became the next secret keeper like his mother.

They were content and happy, the pottery maker… and his Secret Keeper.

~

Hanako means Flower Child or Fair Blossom

Ken'ichi means Strong One

**Author's Note:**

> What did you think? Good? Bad? 
> 
> No, I will not do a sequel, this was a one shot.
> 
> Let me know how it was!


End file.
